Homemade Laundry Detergent - Page 3

mumzilla · 03-20-2009, 11:39 AM

Do we have results on the trial yet????? I am very curious.

divinemisselle · 03-20-2009, 11:53 AM

Me, too! I used the last of my commercial detergent this morning and am going to get the supplies and whip up a batch for myself this weekend.

Just for the record, I found on another site that this recipe costs just 2 cents per load vs. the 25 cents per load of midgrade commercial detergent! That's a BIG savings!

racetrackgirl · 03-20-2009, 01:09 PM

still have not made it to do laundry [hopefully tonight] will post results as soon as I have them.

short_kid · 03-20-2009, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady_MCSE

b) I kinda hate to post this but you know how back in the 70's (or was it 80's?) they took phosphates out of everything because it was turning lakes and streams into super algae blooms ... well phosphates are wonderful for turning whites really white again ... and Spic & Span still has phosphates in it. So if\when I ever get around to making my own soap based on what others post here, I will most likely make two batches, one that's phosphate free for 95% of my washing, and one that's got just a smidge of spic & span thrown in so I can do my whites every now and then with it ... I hope sparingly isn't too terrible for the environment!!!

Spic and span no longer has phosphates. I went to buy a bottle and they have change to no phosphates. Any other whitening ideas?

BBT2T5 · 03-20-2009, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by short_kid

Spic and span no longer has phosphates. I went to buy a bottle and they have change to no phosphates. Any other whitening ideas?

Oh that is so disappointing!

short_kid · 03-21-2009, 02:24 PM

Tell me about it. I was just happy that I read that in the store and not after I got home.

racetrackgirl · 03-22-2009, 03:03 PM

Well I braved the blizzard to go do laundry today. I thought it was only fair to do it at the same place and use the same additives [oxyclean] that I always do. I used the mixture straight out of the five gallon bucket [did not add extra water] but only used half a cup for the wash, mixture was thick and gloppy but not to thick to use. It was a "double loader" sized machine.
I was worried about oversudsing because of the Dawn I added , but that was not a concern. Even with a full cup of Dawn added to the original recipe the soap barely suds at all. I ran it through the same wash cycle I always use and the results were....it does not work any better or any worse than the expensive brand name soap I usually use. Not much smell [ I did not add any scent]but the laundry smelled fresh and clean [no hint of horse or liniment].

two thumbs up. Thanks again Rubysrider.
though next batch I'm going to try two cups of dawn

rubysrider · 03-22-2009, 10:06 PM

Great! Thanks for the update.
I'm going to try to get to the store this week and buy the supplies to make it myself. (hubby's truck had to be fixed last week)
I'm hoping this will be a real money saver for everyone.

Jean Genie · 03-31-2009, 01:54 PM

I had planned on whipping up a batch myself this past weekend but couldn't find the washing soda anywhere

. Did a bit of further online research and found a phone number 1-800-524-1328 for Church & Dwight, the leading US producer of sodium carb/bicarb products located in New Jersey. I provided the UPC #33200-03020 and my zip code and was told it's available at my local Kroger, which happened to be the one single store I didn't stop at this weekend

. If there is no close distributor, you can also order direct from them.

Orchid · 03-31-2009, 02:07 PM

Arm & Hammer makes washing soda too Jean!

divinemisselle · 03-31-2009, 02:17 PM

I had forgotten to post on this as well! I made a batch a week and a half ago and have done close to 15 loads of laundry with it. I did add some smelly to it, but that really washes out in the rinse cycle, and then gets "replaced" with the Downy I use. Overall, as was said above, it didn't work any better or any worse than what I normally use. Though it didn't get as gelatanous as I thought it would. I didn't add any Dawn either.

It gets a thumbs up from me though, as far as cost and effectiveness. The kids got a kick out of making it, too.

ToveroMom · 03-31-2009, 04:17 PM

I have never made it but this came out on one of my sites today-10 "recipes"
http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundr...rgent-recipes/

Jean Genie · 03-31-2009, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orchid

Arm & Hammer makes washing soda too Jean!

That's what I was looking for but couldn't find. I think that Church & Dwight place I called is a distributor. I'll pick some up at my Kroger store on Friday and whip up a batch. Geesh, I'm almost excited about doing the laundry...

rubysrider · 04-06-2009, 08:15 PM

I made my detergent after I got off work this afternoon. I used the Fels Naptha soap and it smells pretty good. Kinda lemony. I'm planning on using it tomorrow and I'll let you all know what I think.

Jean Genie · 04-06-2009, 10:47 PM

I made some yesterday; here's how it went. I used Fels Naptha for my bar soap, next time I'll grate it finer because it took a while to melt down, like 25 mins or so and I didn't much care for the smell that wafted through the house. Added the powders and mixed very well, dumped it into my 5 gal bucket, then more hot water, mix and stir and voila, done

. Popped the lid on and let it sit overnite.

This morning, after outside chores I have a look at it. It's an unappealing color, a milky pale yellow and I had some "curds" on the top. It's very thick, sounds grainy or gritty when I stir it, and stirring was a real chore to do. I think more water next batch. I should have skimmed off the curds last nite but didn't. They're unmelted bits of soap and do not melt down in the washer. The laundry I did this morning was a cold wash and looking at this stuff I'm just not feeling like it's going to "dissolve" in the cold water so I scooped out about 1/3 of a cup and glumped it into an old detergent container, added some hot water, capped it and shook it up real well and then added it to the wash; that worked.

I washed a bunch of darks, jeans, sweats and such. It doesn't suds up at all so the thing that bugged me was the look of the water; since there were no suds to hide it, it just went round and round in darkish dirty looking water; made me feel like they were not going to get clean. You're tempted to add more...MUST have suds

but I didn't. The clothes rinsed well with no visible residue. I did not add any fabric softener this 1st time because I wanted to give them the "sniff" test to make sure they smelled clean; they did, YAY. They look clean too and the plan is to hang them outside tomorrow to dry. Hopefully they won't dry stiff as a board but if they do I'll throw them in the dryer for 5 mins with a dryer sheet and that should remedy that. Actually, I always bounce clothes in the dryer after drying outside to shake out any "squatters", bugs or bees that crawl in while outside. I could tell you tales of woe from the days when I did not take that precaution...poor hubby and a pair of well-fitting jeans...

hopping, dancing, desperately trying to kick them off before getting stung...again...

.

So I'm happy with it but I'm also sure I'll tweak the recipe a bit next time, which won't be anytime soon, though, as I've got 5 gallons of it. I think I'll give some to my daughter who is always looking for ways to save money now that she's got her own place.

rivervu2 · 04-08-2009, 06:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by short_kid

Spic and span no longer has phosphates. I went to buy a bottle and they have change to no phosphates. Any other whitening ideas?

Have you thought of using blueing? It's what our grandmothers used to whiten clothes.

short_kid · 04-08-2009, 07:46 AM

What is blueing and where can I find it?

Jean Genie · 04-08-2009, 09:12 PM

Did some more laundry today. Supposed to stir b4 each use and mine is now like a 5 gal bucket of ...tofu...or very firm gelatin. It's a CHORE to stir it all up and is still very large lumpy after stirring. It does an OK job of cleaning which is most important and over the long term will cost a whole lot less than store bought stuff but I'm finding I'm a bit less enthused about it every time I use it. Like anything new, you just have to get used to it, I spose.

SK, here's an interesting bit about bluing, what it is and how to use it:

http://www.mrsstewart.com/pages/purpose.htm

kyspottedwalker · 04-09-2009, 08:25 AM

I was wondering if a person could save up some detergent bottles and as soon as you make the homemade stuff pour the bottles half full and store. Then when you are ready to use add the hot water. May make it easier, if a person has the room for storage.

flexy · 04-11-2009, 09:01 AM

Today I am going to give the laundry soap a try. I made it last night with my daughter and we had a blast. The only problem that I had was boiling the soap my eyes are sensitive and when I added the borax and washing soda my eyes gooped up but other than that we had fun.

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03-20-2009, 11:39 AM
mumzilla Halter broke Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 119	Do we have results on the trial yet????? I am very curious.

03-20-2009, 11:53 AM
divinemisselle Bombproof Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: At the bar... Posts: 8,359	Me, too! I used the last of my commercial detergent this morning and am going to get the supplies and whip up a batch for myself this weekend. Just for the record, I found on another site that this recipe costs just 2 cents per load vs. the 25 cents per load of midgrade commercial detergent! That's a BIG savings! __________________ . Lead me not into temptation..... I can find it just fine on my own.....

03-20-2009, 01:09 PM
racetrackgirl Halter broke Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: alberta Posts: 114	still have not made it to do laundry [hopefully tonight] will post results as soon as I have them.

03-21-2009, 02:24 PM
short_kid Greenbroke Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: michigan Posts: 3,167	Tell me about it. I was just happy that I read that in the store and not after I got home. __________________ VOTE FOR "DUSTY TRAILS HORSE RESCUE" DAILY IN THE PETFINDER SHELTER CHALLENGE http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/c...faces?siteId=3

03-22-2009, 03:03 PM
racetrackgirl Halter broke Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: alberta Posts: 114	Well I braved the blizzard to go do laundry today. I thought it was only fair to do it at the same place and use the same additives [oxyclean] that I always do. I used the mixture straight out of the five gallon bucket [did not add extra water] but only used half a cup for the wash, mixture was thick and gloppy but not to thick to use. It was a "double loader" sized machine. I was worried about oversudsing because of the Dawn I added , but that was not a concern. Even with a full cup of Dawn added to the original recipe the soap barely suds at all. I ran it through the same wash cycle I always use and the results were....it does not work any better or any worse than the expensive brand name soap I usually use. Not much smell [ I did not add any scent]but the laundry smelled fresh and clean [no hint of horse or liniment]. two thumbs up. Thanks again Rubysrider. though next batch I'm going to try two cups of dawn Last edited by racetrackgirl : 03-22-2009 at 03:06 PM. Reason: forgot to add

03-22-2009, 10:06 PM
rubysrider Yearling Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: N.W.Arkansas Posts: 854	Great! Thanks for the update. I'm going to try to get to the store this week and buy the supplies to make it myself. (hubby's truck had to be fixed last week) I'm hoping this will be a real money saver for everyone. __________________ Life is simpler when you plow around the stumps.

03-31-2009, 01:54 PM
Jean Genie Started Join Date: May 2006 Location: NW Illinois Posts: 2,725	I had planned on whipping up a batch myself this past weekend but couldn't find the washing soda anywhere . Did a bit of further online research and found a phone number 1-800-524-1328 for Church & Dwight, the leading US producer of sodium carb/bicarb products located in New Jersey. I provided the UPC #33200-03020 and my zip code and was told it's available at my local Kroger, which happened to be the one single store I didn't stop at this weekend . If there is no close distributor, you can also order direct from them. __________________ "If a tree falls in the woods, it's still a tree...ain't it?" More wisdom from the vacuous mind of Jason Stackhouse.

03-31-2009, 02:07 PM
Orchid Bombproof Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Minnesota Posts: 11,048	Arm & Hammer makes washing soda too Jean! __________________ Careful what you wish; Careful what you say; Careful what you wish; You may regret it; Careful what you wish; You just might get it. ~ Metallica, King Nothing

03-31-2009, 02:17 PM
divinemisselle Bombproof Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: At the bar... Posts: 8,359	I had forgotten to post on this as well! I made a batch a week and a half ago and have done close to 15 loads of laundry with it. I did add some smelly to it, but that really washes out in the rinse cycle, and then gets "replaced" with the Downy I use. Overall, as was said above, it didn't work any better or any worse than what I normally use. Though it didn't get as gelatanous as I thought it would. I didn't add any Dawn either. It gets a thumbs up from me though, as far as cost and effectiveness. The kids got a kick out of making it, too. __________________ . Lead me not into temptation..... I can find it just fine on my own.....

03-31-2009, 04:17 PM
ToveroMom Pasture Pet Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Cleveland TX Posts: 17,059	I have never made it but this came out on one of my sites today-10 "recipes" http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundr...rgent-recipes/ __________________

04-06-2009, 08:15 PM
rubysrider Yearling Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: N.W.Arkansas Posts: 854	I made my detergent after I got off work this afternoon. I used the Fels Naptha soap and it smells pretty good. Kinda lemony. I'm planning on using it tomorrow and I'll let you all know what I think. __________________ Life is simpler when you plow around the stumps.

04-06-2009, 10:47 PM
Jean Genie Started Join Date: May 2006 Location: NW Illinois Posts: 2,725	I made some yesterday; here's how it went. I used Fels Naptha for my bar soap, next time I'll grate it finer because it took a while to melt down, like 25 mins or so and I didn't much care for the smell that wafted through the house. Added the powders and mixed very well, dumped it into my 5 gal bucket, then more hot water, mix and stir and voila, done . Popped the lid on and let it sit overnite. This morning, after outside chores I have a look at it. It's an unappealing color, a milky pale yellow and I had some "curds" on the top. It's very thick, sounds grainy or gritty when I stir it, and stirring was a real chore to do. I think more water next batch. I should have skimmed off the curds last nite but didn't. They're unmelted bits of soap and do not melt down in the washer. The laundry I did this morning was a cold wash and looking at this stuff I'm just not feeling like it's going to "dissolve" in the cold water so I scooped out about 1/3 of a cup and glumped it into an old detergent container, added some hot water, capped it and shook it up real well and then added it to the wash; that worked. I washed a bunch of darks, jeans, sweats and such. It doesn't suds up at all so the thing that bugged me was the look of the water; since there were no suds to hide it, it just went round and round in darkish dirty looking water; made me feel like they were not going to get clean. You're tempted to add more...MUST have suds but I didn't. The clothes rinsed well with no visible residue. I did not add any fabric softener this 1st time because I wanted to give them the "sniff" test to make sure they smelled clean; they did, YAY. They look clean too and the plan is to hang them outside tomorrow to dry. Hopefully they won't dry stiff as a board but if they do I'll throw them in the dryer for 5 mins with a dryer sheet and that should remedy that. Actually, I always bounce clothes in the dryer after drying outside to shake out any "squatters", bugs or bees that crawl in while outside. I could tell you tales of woe from the days when I did not take that precaution...poor hubby and a pair of well-fitting jeans... hopping, dancing, desperately trying to kick them off before getting stung...again... . So I'm happy with it but I'm also sure I'll tweak the recipe a bit next time, which won't be anytime soon, though, as I've got 5 gallons of it. I think I'll give some to my daughter who is always looking for ways to save money now that she's got her own place. __________________ "If a tree falls in the woods, it's still a tree...ain't it?" More wisdom from the vacuous mind of Jason Stackhouse.

04-08-2009, 07:46 AM
short_kid Greenbroke Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: michigan Posts: 3,167	What is blueing and where can I find it? __________________ VOTE FOR "DUSTY TRAILS HORSE RESCUE" DAILY IN THE PETFINDER SHELTER CHALLENGE http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/c...faces?siteId=3

04-08-2009, 09:12 PM
Jean Genie Started Join Date: May 2006 Location: NW Illinois Posts: 2,725	Did some more laundry today. Supposed to stir b4 each use and mine is now like a 5 gal bucket of ...tofu...or very firm gelatin. It's a CHORE to stir it all up and is still very large lumpy after stirring. It does an OK job of cleaning which is most important and over the long term will cost a whole lot less than store bought stuff but I'm finding I'm a bit less enthused about it every time I use it. Like anything new, you just have to get used to it, I spose. SK, here's an interesting bit about bluing, what it is and how to use it: http://www.mrsstewart.com/pages/purpose.htm __________________ "If a tree falls in the woods, it's still a tree...ain't it?" More wisdom from the vacuous mind of Jason Stackhouse.

04-09-2009, 08:25 AM
kyspottedwalker Weanling Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Clarkson, ky Posts: 346	I was wondering if a person could save up some detergent bottles and as soon as you make the homemade stuff pour the bottles half full and store. Then when you are ready to use add the hot water. May make it easier, if a person has the room for storage. __________________ www.freewebs.com/blueclearsky/ Life ain't always beautiful, but it's a beautiful RIDE!

04-11-2009, 09:01 AM
flexy Yearling Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: china spring texas Posts: 696	Today I am going to give the laundry soap a try. I made it last night with my daughter and we had a blast. The only problem that I had was boiling the soap my eyes are sensitive and when I added the borax and washing soda my eyes gooped up but other than that we had fun. __________________ If wishes were horses beggars would fly